Adjustable dancer roll for a tension winding mechanism



y 3, 1966 w. PELTIER 3,249,315

ADJUSTABLE DANCER ROLL FOR A TENSION WINDING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W Ffl Z0 INVENTOR.

WILFRED 1.. PELTNIER BY United States Patent ADJUSTABLE DANCER ROLL FOR A TENSION WINDING MECHANISM Wilfred L. Peltier, Johnston, R.I., assignor to Walco Electric Company, Providence, R.I., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,626 2 Claims. (Cl. 24275.3)

My present invention relates to tension winding mechanisms and more particularly to a device for presetting or adjusting the tension of a winding mechanism.

The principal Object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable tensioning device which permits remote control adjust-ment of the tension during the operation of the winding mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple mechanism for adjusting a preset tension on a tension winding device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjusting device which permits control of the winding tension during the winding operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tension winding device which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an adjustment device for a tension winding mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a front fragmentary view of the dancer roll mounting.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a tension winding device embodying the present invention.

In winding a web of material on to a core, it is necessary to maintain a constant tension to obtain the desired wind. In some cases this tension is increasing and in some cases it is decreasing and more often it is at a constant steady tension. However, in any case it is essential that a controlled device be interposed between the processing machine and the winding mechanism. When webs of paper or textile material are being wound, dancer rolls are often provided to maintain a tension on the material by the weight of the roll itself. The present invention provides a considerable improvement on the dancer roll construction in that it permits complete control and adjustment of the tension at the dancer roll even during the operation of the winding mechanism.

In accordance with the present invention, the effective weight of the dancer roll on the material being wound is reduced to zero. Tension winding pressure can now be applied electrically or electronically and thus easily controlled by the turn of a knob even during the tension winding operation. The device of the present invention can of course be applied to any type of winding mechanism and the illustrations provided show only one type for purposes of illustration only. Referring more in detail to the drawings, the tension winding mechanism comprises a vertical rectangular housing portion 10 which houses the electronic circuits and control devices, and also supports a pair of winding shafts v11 and 12 which are mounted in vertical alignment adjacent one edge as shown in FIG. 1. Such winding devices are normally provided with two shafts so that when the winding is complete on one shaft it can be shifted to the other shaft while the material is being removed from the first shaft without stopping the processing machinery. The

3,249,315 Patented May 3, 1966 winding machine is positioned at the end of the processing operation with the shafts 11 and 12 extending transversely to the movement of the material being processed as shown in FIG. 1. Between the processing machinery and the shafts 11 and 12, the device of the present invention is provided with the control mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and extending at right angles from the housing 10 in the path of movement of the material being processed.

I provide a rectangular frame having a bottom 13, spaced side walls 14 and 15 and a top 16. Journaled in the side walls 14 and 15, and spaced from the bottom 13, is a horizontal shaft 17 which extends through the housing wall 10 into the housing where it is provided with a large gear 18 driven by the torque motor 19. Adjacent the upper end of the frame, and just below the top 16, is another transverse shaft 20 identical to the shaft 17 but having each end journaled in the sides 14 and 15 for rotation. The shaft 17 is provided adjacent the wall frame portion 14 with a sprocket wheel 21 and the shaft 20 is provided with an identical sprocket wheel 22 in vertical alignment with the Wheel 21. A sprocket chain '23 extends around the wheels 21 and 22.

At the other end of the shafts I17 and 20, and spaced from the frame wall portion 15 are a similar pair of vertically aligned sprocket wheels, the wheel 24 being mounted on the shaft 17 and the wheel 25 being mounted on the shaft 20. A sprocket chain 26 extends around the wheels 24 and 27 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Mounted on the base 13, just inwardly of the sprocket wheels 21 and 24 on the shaft 17 are a pair of spaced vertical shafts 27 and 28 locked in collars at each end in the base 13 and the upper frame member 16 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Each shaft 27 and 28 is provided with a stop collar member spaced from the bottom end at 29 and an upper stop collar member 30 spaced from the upper end. By means of suitable conventional set screws the collars 29 and 30 may be adjusted vertically. Surrounding the shafts 27 and 28 are a pair of coil springs 31 which rest on the lower stop members 29. Mounted on each shaft 27 and 28 is a block 32 which is loosely slidably mounted for vertical movement on the shafts 27 and 28. The outer portion of each block 32 is bolted at 33 to the adjacent sprocket chains 23 and 26. This vertical movement of the sprocket chains will cause simultaneous vertical movement of the blocks 32.

A dancer roll 34 is journaled in the blocks 32 and rotatably mounted therein. A pair of coil springs 35 also surround the shafts 27 and 28 above the blocks 32 to act as buffers between the blocks and the upper stop members 30. Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a weight 36 is linked into the sprocket chains 23 and 26 on the vertical length opposite the dancer roll 34. The weights 36, there being one at each sprocket chain, are of such value that they equal the weight of the blocks 32 dancer roll 34 and of the springs 35. This reduces the value of the weight of the dancer roll to zero on the sprocket chains 23 and 26. Mounted above the upper vertical frame member 16, is a roller 37 in such position that when the process material 38 shown in dotted lines passes over the roller 37 and then downwardly around the dancer roller 34, it is in substantially vertical position. Mounted adjacent the frame but slightly above the upper stop member 30 as shown in FIG. 1, is another idler roller 39. This is mounted so that now when the material passes beneath the dancer roller 34 and then upwardly over the roller 39 it is again in substantially vertical position so that the two lengths of material passing downwardly and upwardly around the dancer roller 34 are substantially in parallel relation. From the roller 39 the material is shown passing on to and winding upon the upper shaft 11.

Control of the tension is provided in various ways. Winding on the shafts 11 and 12 is at a controlled speed to provide a desired tension as in any conventional winding device. However, adjustment is provided by means of the torque motor 19. While a motoris illustrated, any other well known torque device can be used at this point. The characteristics of the motor 19 are that it can be set todrive the sprocket wheels 21 and 24 on the shaft 17 in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1, at. a predetermined torque setting which is adjustable from the control panel knobs 40. This rotates the sprocket chains to move the dancer roll 34 downwardly, the movement of the dancer roll being at the predetermined torque setting. In view of the fact that the dancer roll is completely balanced, its weight is negative and the downward pressure of the dancer roll is equal to the torque setting of the motor 19. With the material 38 passing over the roller 37 and below the dancer roll 34 and then to the winding shaft over the intermediate roller 39, it is contemplated that the dancer roll will begin at the lowest position against the lowermost springs 31. As the material is being wound on the shaft 11 at a constant speed,

the increased diameter of the winding roll will cause the material to be pulled more and more rapidly from the various rollers and cause a lifting of the dancer roll 34. However, regardless of the position of the dancer roll its torque tension will always be equal to that supplied by the torque motor 19. In other words if the tension is increased by a pull on the shaft 11, the dancer roll will move upwardly and keep releasing the material at the required torque tension. This maintains the constant tension on the material. However, as the dancer roll moves upwardly, the rotation of the upper shaft 20 causes rotation of a transducer which is mounted in the housing 10 and operates on the shaft 20. The transducer is a conventional device designed to gradually slow the shaft 11 as the dancer roll moves upwardly. This again permits the maintenance of the desired pressure. In other words as the dancer roll moves downwardly the transducer increases the speed of the winding shaft 11 and as the dancer roll moves upwardly the speed of the winding shaft 11 is decreased. This of course is necesasry as the diameter of the material keeps increasing on the shaft 11. Transducers in this position are old and well known. However applicant has devised a means of adjusting by remote control the tension on the dancer roll 34 regardless of its position. Note. that the tension of the torque motor 19 can be adjusted to any value even during the winding operation. Since the dancer roll is over balanced by the weight 36 so that its own weight becomes zero, an accurate control of the tension on the material passing around the roller can always be maintained by the fixed value of the torque motor 19. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. I

I claim:

1. A tension controlled device comprising a rectangular frame, a lower horizontal shaft mounted in said frame, an upper horizontal shaft mounted in said frame, a sprocket wheel mounted adjacent each end of each of said shafts in vertically aligned pairs, a sprocket chain on each pair of aligned sprocket wheels adjacent the ends of said shafts, a vertical shaft mounted in said frame inwardly of each of said sprocket chains, a block slidably mounted on each vertical shaft in engagement with the adjacent sprocket chain, a dancer roll horizontally rotatably mounted in said blocks, a pair of spaced rollers mounted adjacent the top of said frame whereby the material will pass over one roller, down and under the dancer roll and up over the other roller to the winding sahft, and means for applying a predetermined adjustable downward pull to said dancer roll, said means comprising an adjustable torque motor rotatably coupled to said lower shaft.

2. A tension controlled device comprising a rectangular frame, a lower horizontal shaft mounted in said frame, an upper horizontal shaft mounted in said frame, a sprocket wheel mounted adjacent each end of each of said shafts in vertically aligned pairs, a sprocket chain on each pair of aligned sprocket wheels adjacent the ends of said shafts, a vertical shaft mounted in said frame inwardly of each of said sprocket chains, a block slidably mounted on each vertical shaft in engagement with the adjacent sprocket chain, a dancer roll horizontally rotatably mounted in said blocks, a pair of spaced rollers mounted adjacent the top of said frame whereby the material will pass over one roller, down and under the dancer roll and up over the other roller to the winding shaft, and means for applying a predetermined adjustable downward pull to said dancer roll, and a counterbalancing weight in each sprocket chain to reduce the effective weight of said dancer roll and blocks to zero, said means comprising an adjustable torque motor rotatably coupled to said lower shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TENSION CONTROLLED DEVICE COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR FRAME, A LOWER HORIZONTAL SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, AN UPPER HORIZONTAL SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, A SPROCKET WHEEL MOUNTED ADJACENT EACH END OF EACH OF SAID SAID SHAFTS IN VERTICALLY ALINGED PAIRS, A SPROCKET CHAIN ON EACH PAIR OF ALIGNED SPROCKET WHEELS ADJACENT THE ENDS OF SAID SH AFT, A VERTICAL SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME INWARDLY OF EACH OF SAID SPROCKET CHAINS, A BLOCK SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON EACH VERTICAL SHAFT IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ADJACENT SPROCKET CHAIN, A DANCER ROLL HORIZONTALLY ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BLOCKS, A PAIR OF SPACED ROLLERS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID FRAME WHEREBY THE MATERIAL WILL PASS OVER ON ROLLER, DOWN AND UNDER THE DANCER ROLL AND UP OVER THE OTHER ROLLER TO THE WINDING SHAFT, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A PREDETERMINED ADJUSTABLE DOWNWARD PULL TO SAID DANCER ROLL, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN ADJUSTABLE TORQUE MOTOR ROTATABLY COUPLED TO SAID LOWER SHAFT. 